Prints in the Snow

These prints were among the last pictures I took of the day (shortly before dropping my camera in the snow - but don't worry - it's okay).

All in all a wonderfuly day - I highly recommend this area and I am seriously considering planning some day hikes south of the border in this area. It was very pretty.

The View from Christian Hollow

Here was the one clear view of the hilly upstate New York landscape and yes, the sky really was that blue.

Winter Wonderland in Allegany State Park

It was a perfect day. The weather was beautiful, the snow was good, the people were nice and the view filled my heart with peace and gratitude that I could be there. I did 4 trails - Leonard Run, Christian Hollow, Sweetwater and Patterson - which totalled 13.6 milles or 21.8 km. Not bad. It was all fairly level stuff compared to Mansfield, Highland's Nordic and Hilton Falls (the other locations that I've skied this year). Patterson Run was particularly nice as we met the bus at the bottome of the hill and it was a gentle glide all the way down requiring nearly no effort and infinite enjoyment of a beautiful landscape as we descended into the valley.

A brief escape to O-town

Well, I drove all the way to Ottawa and back (and stayed there for about 3 days) in a snow storm (both ways) and this is one of the only pictures I took. I knit the hat myself and it was well recieved by its recipient. I even had company going in both directions. I did try and get some pictures of the moon last night, but without a tripod or any manual control of my focus - I gave it up for a bad idea (since it was cold) and went back to annoying visiting (and expecting) family with a toy dinosaur.

Back to gabbing briefly about Ottawa, I had good company for the drives and the snow was pretty. We had yummy subs in Omeemee (becoming a favourite stop on highway 7). I actually worked the entire time I was in Ottawa - so even though it was lovely and winterlude - I didn't see any ice sculptures or ski. It was still a good trip, but I thought I'd do more. I did manage to round up a small fraction of the Ottawa folks I know for Coffee - which was a good time. In particular, I hadn't seen my roomate from Fredericton in about 3 years and another old friend I definately haven't seen in almost 2.

so... maybe next year.. I'll actually go visit Ottawa, stay there and be a tourist. :D I still have to visit my Aunt Isabel.

Jennith

Snowing Falling on Cedars

It is amazing how a little snow can make a place seem so quiet and peaceful and make a short hike into a much more arduous one. Yeah for snow and winter... :D

20 km of Blissful Skiing

A day of skiing at Nordic Highlands was well work the early start (I was out the door by 7 am and at the bus pick up for 7:15 (nearly an hour early - between green light luck and it being closer than I thought in the first place and aiming to be early at any rate). I skied for about 4 hours, learned about nano fibers of carbon and how they can lighten a ski and throughly enjoyed the wonder day. The people were super friendly and aside from having to frog all of the work I did on my sock on the bus because I seem to be short 3 stitches (grrr) and having more blister than heel, all was winterly perfect. Gabe popped over yesterday at the last minute and we greedily watched the last 4 episodes of season 1 of Heroes - my new favourite TV show - until long after we should have slept and now I have a reason to be irked about the writer's strike!!! This morning, my altruistic descision not to put the garbage out in the pouring rain (to save the garbage persons from having to heft a box of soaking newprint) bit me in the butt. I started the morning hauling my recyling across the street to meet the truck coming down the other way, dropping the dry, but still heavy box of newsprint (which also happened to be falling apart). The bottom of the box shattered, scattering my now sopping wet newsprint in a big, wet, puddle. I did however get most of it recycled, hauling it to the truck in my arms, then going back for the remains... joy... So, I have a 3rd of a box leftover, but that isn't so bad - or it wouldn't have been until I realized that I'd managed to lock myself out of the house in the process. Fortunately, my mom was up at that point and the rest of the day went smoothly and pleasently - which means I got to drink my coffee when it was just the right temperature and I survived wearing only one pair of socks in rainboots in snow...

Monora Moments

Following a rain-on-snow event and warmish weather, I decided to see if I could record some high flows up at my field site. It made for a pleasent change from fighting with software that likes crashing more than cooperating - and in spite of being practically in the middle of a subdivision, its a pretty spot.

Snowy River Banks

Ahh... beautiful winter

Goose on the loose

Its funny, nearly every time I've gone to Caledon since the beginning of October the weather has been inclement... so here is a picture of a goose trying to fly in strong winds over the 24. It was fun driving that day - I actually slid a bit on a hill doing under 10 km/hr. Nothing happened because I was really nearly stopped, but I was glad to get the winter tires on the following week.

Gabe taking notes at Wilmot

I don't know what I would have done with Gabe - he kindly gave up about 6 weekends to help me complete my fieldwork this fall including taking some great Coarse Woody Debris Pics

Periscope Up

Here is a nice little mushroom viewing the world from a log (CWD) suspended over one of my field sites. Measuring the characteristics of coarse woody debris was one of the major things I did in the field this year. So I thought I'd catch you all up by posting some field pictures over the next few days. Hopefully, I'll have some nice skiing ones to post by Monday.

In the meantime, it is snowing, but the weather is threatening to turn wet sooner than hoped - so join me in begging the artic air mass to get its but down here in time to make gobbs of beautiful fluffy snow. Then it should hang around for a while so we can keep the snow in question!

David Usher Rocks The Horseshoe

At least I think it is the Horseshoe, it might have been the Mod Club or well somewhere. It was a bar in Toronto near to the old Maple Leaf Gardens. The Concert was awesome. Gabe took most of the pictures, but I thought this one could be mine because it looks like whoever took it was shorter than the people in front of them.. but I could by wrong... so credit possibly to Gabe because I'm not sure I took any that weren't blurry. This is part of my catching up on the last few months on things other than my trip to Thunder Bay.

And I'm really having trouble with English this morning... sorry about the discombobulated post. Good concert - we met up with Geoff and Erin... it was a blast.

Tobogganing Lives On

One of the best parts of my christmas break was rediscovering my love for tobogganing. With private access to better hills and snow that my childhood ever knew (save maybe Lowville - but it was always crowded) - I had a blast and proved (to myself anyways) that all the new fangled sledding devices really can't beat the original wooden toboggan for speed and manouverability. Riding single, double and triple we blazed a trail down the hill - at one point with headlamps and moonlight only to guide us. It was just awesome and probably the best excercise I got the entire break too... running up the hill for the next slide down.

Skiing the Mulmer Hills in Mansfield

I needed to stop sitting behind my computer for a few hours so I drove up to Mansfield Outdoor Center and finally got some good cross country skiing in this year. Actually, noting the impending rain and above freezing temperatures forcast for most of the eastern half of Ontario.. I figured I'd better get out, because it could be weeks before there was skiing again. I did the 9.5 km blue trail - which starts off with a lot of hills... going up, coming down etc. However, a little ways in the terrain levels out and there are about 5 or 6 km of wonderful skiing in the woods. There was a nice couple who provided me some advice on good places to try skiing around here. I'd really like to go to Hardwood Hills, Wasage and Scenic Caves before the winter is out - truthfully... I'd really like to go to Algonquin Park, Silent Lake and the Gatineau and I wouldn't mind some skiing in Thunder Bay - but none of those are likely to happen - so I'll settle for the accomplishable. I finished up with an easy ski on the 2km orange loop that follows the edge of a river - but in the fading sun it was charming and I saw a doe, which was nice.

Its been years since I've skied much. Most of it came back - I'm sure my technique was never fabulous - but a lot of it is natural... the one thing I'm struggling with is hills which is funny - since I've done more down hill skiing in the last 10 years than cross country by a wide margin, but maybe that is the cause... I don't know how to ski down a narrow path on a hill with narrow skis. I was getting better by the end. I can snow plow okay, but I think my body purposely flops over when I get going to fast becuase I feel nervous about it. I think once I feel more confident about steering and turning and build up a few muscles I'll be okay. I will however stop skiing in jeans until I cut back on my falls significantly. They get wet and cold.

Last Trip Post

 

 

 

 

I guess like the hike, I'm just going nuts with the photo - I can't believe I'm actually all the way through my trip (in a posting sense). I was shocked at how busy Arrowhead was on the long weekend. I guess a lot of people come up from TO. Coincidently - they are holding the Muskoka Loppet there this weekend - although I won't be there yet. I've hardly been skiing yet, so I figured it would be persumptuous to make my first major ski trip to be a race. This weekend, I'm sincerely hoping to get out and do some skiing now that there is some snow and also to add some ski links to the blog.

For upcoming stories - well, I do have some back logged stuff - like the snowstorm in TO when our original trip to the Vinyl Cafe was in vain and some pretty wintery pics of the credit. I guess I'm going to have to get my butt in gear and take some new pictures.

Thanks for sharing my journey with my - I don't think I expected to still be posting so many months later... but it was a fantastic trip full of great moments, good lookouts for contemplation and some decent challanges...and back to my current challange for me.

Natural Beauty

I think I took as many pictures at Arrowhead as I had in the preceding day - there was a definate feeling of it being the last chance. I actually almost didn't stop, but I'm glad I did. Although the trail I did was only about 3 km, it was good get out and walk and enjoy the grade A colours.

Arrowhead Hike

My last breath of fall colours before heading back to the city on a calm, cool and overcast day.

The Beautiful Blue Yonder

 

View from the Tower

 

Here is the distant shoreline, visible from the tower. It was breathtaking - and just plain beautiful

Where the road leads and we follow

 

An afternoon ski, turned into a quick spontaneous trip (the kind where you end up somewhere with no change of clothes or toothpaste). Here we are up the tower near the Bruce Peninsula park tower